MIS-IDENTIFICATION OF CHEMICALS

摘要

The mis-identification of chemicals is a perennial safety issue. A number of serious incidents and near-misses have arisen through chemicals being incorrectly identified in both continuous and batch processes. However, the nature of batch production makes it particularly vulnerable to such incidents of Mis-Identification, due to the following characteristics: 1. The use of multi-purpose plants, with different chemicals used in different production campaigns; 2. The large variety of chemicals kept ready for use in a plant; 3. The use of containers (i.e. bags, pallets, FIBC, etc), as opposed to supply via fixed pipes; 4. The greater use of organisational versus technical safety measures. For these reasons the European Process Safety Centre (EPSC) Safety Issues in Batch Production Contact Group choose this topic for investigation.